British Prime Minister Keir Starmer shared a hug with Zelenskyy, and later told him that he is “very, very welcome here”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was visibly emotional while speaking with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer just a day after his heated White House exchange with U.S. President Donald Trump.
On Saturday, March 1, Zelenskyy, 47, arrived at London’s Downing Street to meet with the U.K. prime minister, 62, who immediately greeted him with a warm hug, per footage shared by the Associated Press and Sky News.
After the leaders’ embrace, Zelenskyy could be seen waving and flashing a thumbs-up at the crowd gathered outside of the Westminster residences. As the duo chatted and posed for photos, reporters in the crowd peppered Zelenskyy with questions about Trump, 78, which he ignored.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(499x0:501x2):format(webp)/Volodymyr-Zelenskyy-Keir-Starmer-02-emotional-030125-18d21a1ea3c843559c8579e051337f7e.jpg)
The U.K. and Ukraine leaders then walked arm in arm and shook hands before heading inside Downing Street for a conversation that was almost immediately emotional.
“Well, let me just say that you’re very, very welcome here in Downing Street, and as you heard from the cheers on the street outside, you have full backing across the United Kingdom,” Starmer told Zelenskyy.
“And we stand with you and Ukraine for as long as it may take, and I hope you heard some of that cheering in the street,” the prime minister continued as Zelenskyy grew teary at the show of support.